user information

Yelp Trends works like any search engine, except you can compare multiple search terms in the context of one city. Reviews are from 98 cities in 20 countries, so there is a wealth of information to play with, but how much of that data is viable?

Facebook claims a site scraper was responsible for selling a list of 1 million user login emails, though many of the emails are unpublished on Facebook. Already, user identities are being reconstructed.

A person claiming to be an apps developer is selling a list of over 1 million data files on Facebook users and 300,000 Twitter users, including email addresses, for $5. The developer claims to have collected the information through social apps.

The FTC has approved its settlement with Google that addresses improper privacy disclosure during the release of Buzz. The settlement mandates additional privacy procedures, including third-party privacy audits every other year for the next 20 years.

The Google Transparency Report has been updated to include data on Government requests for user information. The new version gives both updated data for the first half of 2011 and adds the details on user data requests.